Sunday, May 1, 2011

BRAMPTON - It wasn’t just a dog, it was a member of Mariam Arian’s family.

She brought two-year-old Mickey, a Yorkshire Terrier, from Slovakia in Easter 2009 as a symbol of having family from her homeland while living in Brampton. What Arian, 38, didn’t expect was to find the 3 kg canine bleeding from a gunshot wound after letting him out into the backyard Friday night. “We are very sad and disturbed,” Arian said. “We always talked to him in Slovakian. He knew all commands in Slovakian and English and was very well-trained.”

Around 9 p.m., Arian was watching the Royal Wedding with her family when the dog unusually began to bark. Arian left the house shortly to pick up her son when she received the heart-breaking phone call from her six-year-old daughter Sarah a half-hour later. “She was screaming, ‘Mickey got shot with the gun, he’s bleeding everywhere,’” she said. “I thought she was joking.”

Arian’s husband Aman had let Mickey out into the backyard area — an unfenced acre of land on Derwent Ave. — and whistled for the dog after a few minutes. Aman saw him come towards him, but collapsed at his feet. When he touched Mickey’s body, his hands were covered in blood. Arian arrived back to the home and saw her husband and daughter rushing with dog towards a nearby emergency veterinarian clinic. They learned through x-rays a bullet had pierced through Mickey’s lung and to have him on life support would cost thousands. They put the dog down that night. “It’s hard to replace Mickey,” Arian said. “He never bothered anyone.”

Peel police could not be reached for comment Sunday night. Many neighbours in the area also have dogs and Arian fears the attacker may strike again. “This is one of the safest neighbourhoods in Brampton, that’s why we moved here,” she said. “Mickey knew someone was out with a gun, maybe someone was preparing some criminal activity and he disrupted him. “Maybe he protected us from something. You never know,” the heartbroken woman said. Peel police didn’t comment Sunday night.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.